NNL Kick-Off: Referees threaten to boycott competition

Ahmed Maude, President, Nigeria Referee Association (NRA), on Wednesday said the Nigeria National League (NNL), might not kick off on Saturday as scheduled.

Maude told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on telephone that due to the unresolved issue of indemnity with the association by the NNL, the referees were ready not to participate.

The president said the NRA was demanding for increment of the indemnity and that if such was not met, the association might boycott the league on Saturday.

NAN reports that the NNL had earlier in a statement announced the postponement of the league from Jan. 25 to Feb. 15. The NNL in the statement cited the non-payment of officials’ allowances as the reason for the shift in the kick off date.

Reacting to the threat, the NNL Chairman, Emeka Inyama, told NAN on telephone that the decision of the NRA to boycott the league was not his business. He said that the NRA had yet to communicate his office on the development.

“How is that my business, you can confirm from the chairman of the Referees Appointment Committee. They have not communicated to us, you are giving me the news,’’ Inyama said.

The Chairman, Referees Appointment Committee, Muazu Sulaiman, also confirmed the development, saying they would not take part in the league if the issue was not resolved.

“I can confirm to you that for now we will boycott the league except the NNL meets our demands.

“Things are likely to change the moment the National League Management is ready to sit down and agree with us. We have said that N17,000 for centre referee and N14,000 for assistant referee is grossly inadequate,’’ he told NAN on telephone.

“Even the Nigerian Nationwide League is pays better, added to this, they are not ready to pay the N17,000 and N14,000 respectively again. So, what are they going to pay? Muazu said.

He said the NRA proposed to the NNL management the sum of N25,000 for centre referee and N20,000 for assistant referees.

Muazu added that the NNL has even told them that they were not ready to pay their initial N17,000 and N14,000.